Age of waste,' 'discard society' and 'throwaway culture' are all terms that have been proposed to describe one of the defining features of our time, mass consumption, and the consequent mass production of waste. Our escalating consumption and its, often nearly immediate, conversion to waste is encouraged and supported by an industrial culture that specializes in producing short-lived goods to meet needs and desires, both proximate and manufactured. Toxicity, plastic gyres, resource depletion, and climate change are all connected to the escalating problems of consumption and waste. In this context, the conceptualization and material realities of waste have broad implications. It is necessary to develop materially grounded understandings of how waste is actively generated and subsequently treated and to recognize the cultural and social factors that render things disposable.
This interdisciplinary, two-day conference, organized by Department of Cross-Cultural and Regional Studies, University of Copenhagen, will inquire into the increasingly visible and pressing waste problems. Individual papers that explore the multiple, sometimes conflicting, imaginaries that activate social values and behaviours around waste and discard, are invited.
To participate, please send an abstract of a maximum 500 words to ccbs@hum.ku.dk no later than 1 February 2024. Please include your name, institution, and position. We also encourage independent researchers and practitioners to submit their proposals.
For more details, visit: https://ccrs.ku.dk/research/centres/centre-for-contemporary-buddhist-studies/calendar/waste-and-value-conference/